Though I didn't go to Anime L.A. in 2005 (it seemed a bit small and the location wasn't exactly in the nicest part of L.A. :thumbsup: ), why not consider a new location at The New Otani (http://www.newotani.com/) in Little Tokyo? I know it's been decided that Anime L.A. 2006 is to be held in the same location as last year and I don't know how much it would cost to hold an event at this hotel, but I think their location in Little Tokyo is perfect.

Southern California, given its size and location, surprisingly has very few anime cons (besides PMX, AX, and Anime L.A.) or anime-related events and the ones that are held are very small with the exception of AX. Interestingly, there's none held in Little Tokyo besides Nisei Week (which isn't really anime-related though they are having a small anime event there) and I hope this post of mine will get some people thinking? :)

Super No 1

07-24-2005, 10:36 PM

I don't really think that moving to a hotel that's a few blocks away from skid row is an improvement. Little Tokyo is okay for day trips, but I wouldn't want to spend two nights there.

Akira-Kun

07-25-2005, 12:35 AM

I don't really think that moving to a hotel that's a few blocks away from skid row is an improvement. Little Tokyo is okay for day trips, but I wouldn't want to spend two nights there.

Though I do not mean to be disrepectful to any area or Anime L.A. (I may attend for 2006), Van Nuys isn't exactly a posh area itself. I just suggested Little Tokyo because it has a lot of Japanese related places around that I think most anime fans would be interested in.

Hazel Chaz

07-25-2005, 01:00 AM

Thank you for the suggestion. Someday we may outgrow this hotel, in which case we'll look at all the available options before we make a decision.

We chose the Airtel Plaza Hotel in Van Nuys because it has a good track record in dealing with fans and fannish conventions. We could get the sort of deal we needed -- we wanted to make sure we got a contract that would let us have a good chance of breaking even in our first year, and being able to use the contacts that we had helped that greatly.

There's a Dr Who convention that has been held there, every year, for about ten years running. I haven't heard of them having any problems with the area, and their hotel liaison is the same guy who volunteers for Anime Los Angeles in the same capacity. Costume College will be returning to the Airtel Plaza next weekend as well.

The room rate was a factor. We wanted to make sure the base room rate for single/doubles would be under a hundred dollars a night -- which might be a little difficult at the New Otani, I'm afraid. We are pleased that next year's convention rates for rooms at our hotel are $85/night plus tax single/double, $99 triple and $109 quad.